IOM Tracking of Spontaneous Returns Project Total Returns to South Sudan Post CPA to June 2009 Table of Contents Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................................... 2 Summary..................................................................................................................................................... 3 1. Background....................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 4 3. Methodology..................................................................................................................................... 5 3.1. En-route Tracking............................................................................................................................. 5 3.2. Area of Return Tracking................................................................................................................... 6 4. Capacity Building of SSRRC and VRRC......................................................................................... 6 5. Total Estimated Number of Returns ................................................................................................. 8 6. Analysis of Area of Return - Cumulative Data, February 2007 to June 2009................................ 10 6.1. Total figure of spontaneous returnees from February 2007 to June 2009...................................... 10 6.2. Cumulative returns by state of return and by month, from February 2007 to June 2009............... 11 6.3. Cumulative figures Female Headed Household, by state from February 2007 to June 2009 ........ 12 6.4. Cumulative figures - age and gender breakdown of spontaneous returnees, by state .................... 14 6.5. Cumulative figures for vulnerable by state, from February 2007 to June 2009 ............................ 15 6.6. Cumulative figures for transportation means, per state, from February 2007 to June 2009 .......... 15 6.7. Correlation of departure points and final destination of movements of spontaneous returnees, from February 2007 to June 2009...................................................................................................................... 16 7. Analysis of En-route Tracking - Cumulative Data, November 2005 to June 2008........................ 19 7.1. Household and individual cumulative statistics from November 2005 to June 2009 .................... 19 7.2. Cumulative returnees by state from November 2007 to June 2009................................................ 22 7.3. Cumulative figures - age and gender breakdown of spontaneous returnees................................... 23 7.4. Cumulative figures for departure points reflecting highest number of movements from November 2005 to June 2009..................................................................................................................................... 23 Annexes .................................................................................................................................................... 27 1 Acknowledgements IOM Sudan wishes to express it thanks to our primary partner in the Spontaneous Returns Tracking Project, the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) of the Government of South Sudan (GoSS). IOM also wishes to thank the Government of National Unity (GoNU), the Voluntary Return and Reintegration Committee (VRRC), Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO), UNMIS Return Rehabilitation and Recovery, and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), This project would not have been possible without the generous contributions and support of our donors. In this respect, IOM would like to offer its sincere appreciation to the United Nations Common Humanitarian Fund, the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid, OFDA/USAID, the World Food Programme and the Government of Norway. 2 Summary The March 2005 Report of the Sudan Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) estimated that approximately four million people were displaced from (or within) Southern Sudan by the 1983 to 2005 civil war between northern and southern Sudan. Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January 2005, IOM calculates that both North-South and South-South return movements stand at almost 1.9 million (see Section 5, below). More than 112,000 IDPs have been assisted through the UN-IOM/GNU/GoSS-assisted return programme, and for these returnees the return journey has been closely monitored and assistance has been provided at the point of arrival. For those, who have elected to return by themselves, however, the challenge to locate and provide support the returnees poses one of the greatest challenges to the international community and authorities aiming to support this massive population movement. To address these challenges, the IOM tracking of spontaneous returns programme gathers detailed information such as return numbers, basic demographic information (sex, age) and special needs/vulnerabilities of IDPs and refugees who have spontaneously returned to Southern Sudan and Southern Kordofan. The main return route is from Northern to Southern Sudan, but South - South movements are also monitored. Both IDP and refugee returns are included. Returns assisted by agencies / bodies other than the joint UN-IOM/GNU/GoSS organised returns project are classified as spontaneous and are included within the findings of this report. The tool used for gathering returnee information is ‘key informant interviews’ with returnee households, either while in transit or in their final destination. Returnee information is gathered through two parallel systems, the first is the En-route Tracking and the second is the Area of Return Tracking (see Section 3 for a detailed description of these two tracking methods) Since the beginning of IOM’s involvement in the tracking project, IOM has physically tracked 231,193 returnees during their return journey of which around 73,000 are state organised returnees (En-route Tracking) and 982,840 returnees in their villages of return (Area of Return Tracking). From this data, in combination with other village level data gathered through IOM’s Village Assessment Programme IOM estimates the total number of successful returns since the CPA until the end of June 2009 to be 1.9 million returnees. This figure takes into account secondary displacement (i.e. people not remaining in their place of return) of an estimated 211,525 individuals. According to IOM estimates, Northern Bahr el Ghazal has received the largest number of returns with an estimated 401,452 returnees (21 %) followed by Southern Kordofan with 270,000 returnees (14%). Eastern Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal states received the lowest number of returnees with 69,974 returnees (4%) and 46,352 returnees (2%) respectively. Single female-headed households (SFHH) tracked during their journey represents only 39% of en route tracked returnees, while tracking in the area/village of return revealed that SFHHs represent 59% of the total tracked households (Area of Return Tracking) in Southern Sudan and Southern Kordofan. The average family size tracked while travelling is 5.2. This increased to 5.5 in the area/villages of return. Also 44% of the adults tracked en route from the place of displacement to the place of return were between 18 to 59 years old. This decreases to 31% of adult returnees tracked in the area/villages of returns. 3 The main means of transportation from North to South is trucks or buses (75%). Those who walked to reach their final destination comprised 15% of the returnee population. 5% used barges and the rest returned by air. 1. Background The March 2005 report of the Sudan Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) estimated that approximately four million people were displaced from (or within) Southern Sudan by the 1983 to 2005 civil war between northern and southern Sudan. Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January 2005, IOM calculated that both North-South and South-South return movements stand at almost 1.7 million (see Section 5, below). While those assisted in their return within the joint UN-IOM/GNU/GoSS-assisted return programme (approximately 112,000 individuals) have been closely monitored; others who have elected to return by themselves continue to pose enormous challenges to the international community and authorities that try to locate them, and provide support. To address these challenges, the IOM Tracking of Spontaneous Returns Programme gathers detailed information such as return numbers, basic demographic information (sex, age) and special needs/vulnerabilities of IDPs and refugees who have spontaneously returned to Southern Sudan and Southern Kordofan. IOM has been involved in the tracking of spontaneous returnees since the signing of the CPA, but assumed full responsibility for the programme from OCHA in 2006. Since that time, IOM has made a number of significant enhancements to the tracking system in terms of coverage, methodology and statistical analysis. This report represents the culmination of the effort to provide accurate tracking of a large number of the returns within a huge geographic area and give a statistically valid estimate of the total number of returns to Southern Sudan and Southern Kordofan. 2. Objectives